Talib Kweli Kicking Tour Off in NYC

Published May 22, 2012•Updated on May 22, 2012 at 10:03 pm

Getty Images for The New Yorker

Talib Kweli is kicking off his latest tour, the Prisoner of Consciousness jaunt, this Memorial Day at Le Poisson Rouge.

Born and raised in New York, Kweli was one of the flagship artists of the late, great Rawkus Records label. Together with Mos Def, Kweli formed Black Star, a duo that reframed underground hip-hop as something that could be both commercially viable and socially conscious.

As a solo artist, Kweli put out the Kanye West-produced hip-hop neo-classic "Get By," as well as the stellar albums Quality and Eardrum, and has been name-checked by Jay-Z.

But Kweli's not done with creating his legacy quite yet. His newest album, Prisoner of Consciousness, is set to feature contributions from The RZA, Busta Rhymes, Curren$y and Kendrick Lamar, proving if nothing else, Kweli's still got a nicely-stocked Rolodex.